Andre Villas-Boas Named New Zenit Coach

   

 Villas-Boas has been named the new coach of Zenit Saint Petersburg and will return to management after frustrating  spells with Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League. 

     His two-year contract was confirmed on Zenit's club website:

“Zenit has agreed terms on a contract with new head coach Andre Villas-Boas. The contract will be signed and Mr. Villas-Boas will be presented in St. Petersburg as Zenit’s new head coach on March 20. Mr. Villas-Boas’ contract begins in March, 2014, and is valid for two seasons (2014/2015, 2015/2016).”

     Zenit will be the sixth team AVB has managed, remarkable considering he is just 36 years old, and will allow the improving manager a different challenge away from the Premier League.

     Zenit are currently second in the Russian top flight, lingering three points behind Lokomotiv Moscow. Villas-Boas will be expected to ensure his team capture the domestic title and qualify for next season's Champions League, an extremely important feat considering Zenit are likely to be out of this year's European competition by the time their new coach is introduced.

Villas-Boas stepped into the limelight as Porto manager, where his most famous win came with a Radamel Falcao-inspired Europa League triumph in 2010-11. His tenure at the Estadio do Dragaois reminiscent of his expectations in Russia, where AVB will be challenged to win all national trophies and improve his club's stature as a continental force.

     It's certainly a change of emphasis from the English Premier League, where Villas-Boas struggled to adapt to the constant spotlight and media attention. He developed insidious relationships with the press—highlighted by his decision to confront Daily Mail writer Neil Ashton after Spurs' 2-2 draw with Manchester United, per David Kent of the same publication—and he failed to produce the results he wanted on the pitch.

Villas-Boas may find the Zenit post refreshing after a difficult stint in England. He has the funds and ambition to build a winning side around Hulk—a player he wanted to sign for Spurs, per Matt Barlow of the Daily Mail—and he can be expected to continue Zenit's building process as they struggle to maintain pace at the top of the Russian Premier League.

Should success follow, Villas-Boas may earn the chance to seal a Premier League return in the future. With many years ahead of him, it will be interesting to see if AVB is tempted by the lure of unfinished business.